Does He Like Nation He Leads?

November 4, 2012

Remember what first lady Michelle Obama said in 2008, when it seemed her husband might become president? "For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback." It wasn't a slip of the tongue; she said nearly the same thing at another campaign stop.

Think about what that said about how Mrs. Obama views her fellow Americans.

The same year, then-candidate Barack Obama, speaking of small-town Americans upset about the economy, had this explanation: "So it's not surprising, then, that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

Fast forward to Sept. 12, 2012, when President Barack Obama discussed the deaths of four Americans at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. It happened because a crowd of Libyans was infuriated by a U.S.-made video that reflected badly on the Prophet Muhammad, Obama said.

Even then it was clear to the president of Libya the attack was staged by Islamic terrorists linked to al-Qaida. Yet it was Obama's knee-jerk reaction to, in effect, blame America.

Also in September, a mob attacked the U.S. embassy in Cairo, Egypt. Obama's Department of State issued a statement that it "condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims ... We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others."

In other words, in the administration's opinion, freedom of speech for Americans has limits far below what most of us accept.

It's part of a pattern not just of apologizing for the United States and Americans, but of outright criticism of us. Remember the 2009 press conference in London? "I would like to think that with my election and the early decisions that we've made, that you're starting to see some restoration of America's standing in the world," Obama said.

None of this is surprising, given Obama's friendships and those who mentored him earlier in life. Remember, the pastor to whom he looked up and listened for many years, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, had this to say about the U.S.: "No, no, no, not God Bless America. God damn America ..."

Then there's Bill Ayers, one of the co-founders of the domestic terrorist group, the Weather Underground, in 1969. For a time, both he and the Obamas lived in Chicago, where they were friends. Ayers even held a political fundraiser at his home for Obama. It didn't seem to bother the future president that Ayers has yet to repent of the Weather Underground's activities, in which several innocent victims were murdered.

Go ahead. Accuse me of slinging mud at the president of the United States. But I didn't make up the above quotations. I didn't invent the associations with people such as Ayers and Wright.

Clearly, President and Mrs. Obama have strong, abiding reservations not just about the U.S. government's policies, but also about we Americans as a nation.

How is it possible to lead a people for whom you have so little respect?